I had a moment in late summer when I decided to replace a lot of the makeup I use. After two years of not going many places and not wearing a lot of makeup, I felt like it was time for a fresh start.

Of course, you need a good base for makeup and I take skincare very seriously. You can find the products I use and treatments I swear by in my Winter Skincare for Face and Body: 2022 Edition post from January.

Also, before I begin, I want to say that if I’m working at home, I don’t usually wear makeup. But if I’m going anywhere, I will not leave my apartment unless I’m showered and my hair and makeup are done. I think this is the result of the way I was raised and also from spending many years working in a corporate environment. There was no rolling out of bed and going to work. Come to think of it, I didn’t even do that in college. It’s a mark of respect for other people, as much as yourself, to put your best self forward.

There are so many people who pride themselves on not wearing makeup but I think it’s important to constantly reevaluate our look from our hair and make up to our fashions. While you might be able to get away with not wearing makeup when you’re younger, our features fade as we age. Eyebrows get thinner and lighter, our skin isn’t as plump and youthful. I think a little makeup can offset the effects of age and also make us feel better.

I’m also not saying you need to use everything here. You can pick and choose what you need or products for areas you want to highlight. I’m just giving you options.

One of my favorite new products is the Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Foundation Drops. It am amazing formulation that covers but feels light and leaves a dewey finish. It’s really amazing. I bought the Clean Liquid Blender Brush to use with it but I mostly use my fingers for application.

The Rolls Royce of concealers is the Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer with SPF 27. It’s expensive but it lasts forever. I had one tube that wasn’t empty but I decided to buy a new one so I could keep it in the pouch with essentials I move from bag to bag. I do like using it with a concealer brush which helps apply it to the corner of my eyes and around my nose.

I use the Westman Atelier Face Trace Cream Contour Stick in Biscuit as a contour to carve out my cheekbones and add a little bronzer to my forehead and places the sun would hit.

Before my birthday trip to Paris, I decided to splurge on the Tom Ford Soleil Glow Bronzer and Bronzer Brush which I had before and loved. It gives me an incredibly natural looking color that perks up my pale skin. Once you start paying for lasers and other expensive skincare treatments, you don’t want to get any sun which would negate all that time and money. I use this more all over than the contour stick.

I use a little Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Stick in Petal. For on the go touch ups, I keep the Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Rose Ecrin in my bag. I love that it has a brush included so I don’t have to worry about forgetting a brush or the brush rubbing color off on my makeup bag. I had been loyal to Nars blush for year but even if you didn’t drop their blush compact, the hinge would always break before you even barely made a dent in the blush. I finally got fed up and I’m very happy with the Chanel replacement.

Before I move on to other products, I use a magnifying mirror and the Hourglass Vanish Foundation Brush to make sure everything is blended. Sometimes I don’t notice that I didn’t quite blend in concealer around my nose.

I do my eyebrows before my eyes because sometimes you need less eye makeup if your brows are on point. I do prefer to have my brows dyed since it makes them look fuller and then you also don’t have to fill them in but sometimes they come out too dark. It also doesn’t last that long so I use the Anastasia Brow Wiz Ultra-Slim Precision Brow Pencil when I need to fill them in. Then I use the Anastasia Strong Hold Clear Brow Gel to keep them in place.

I’ve been using the MAC Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base Primer for a month and I’m very happy with its performance. My eye makeup now stays on and rarely creases. I think the one day that it did crease was due to user error. You are supposed to press your base color directly into the primer before it dries. I love this Laura Mercier Eye Basics Primer as an all over lid color too. I use it with the MAC primer for extra hold.

I used to be loyal to Shu Uemura eyelash curler but I felt like it wasn’t working as well as it used to either. So I switched to the Chanel Eyelash Curler and I’m so much happier. It feels tighter and stronger and curls my lashes right away so I don’t have to curl them multiple times. I don’t like a crisp eyeliner line so after I apply Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Gel Eyeliner in steel grey and smudge it into my top lash line. I never apply any eye products under my eye.

Switching from Tom Ford eyeshadow to this Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palette in medium has been a game changer. The five long-lasting colors are smudgeproof and actually stays on all day. It also comes with applicators but I bought the Westman Atelier Clean Eyeshadow I Brush that I use to apply the light base color. I use the Clean Eyeshadow II Brush for the darker colors. For day, I use the light color as a base and the two middle colors for definition. For an evening out, I add the bottom two colors for more depth.

This Wander Beauty Mile High Club Length and Define Mascara is the only one that doesn’t end up smudges under my eyes by the end of the day. I love it and have been using it for years.

As soon as I arrived at a book party at the Ralph Lauren mansion last week, someone commented on how good my skin looked. I did have a Clear + Brilliant laser treatment three weeks before so that helped but this Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in radiant and Powder Brush is my skin secret weapon. I use it instead of pressed powder and I use it all over my face. It creates a glow but you do need clear skin to start so it’s important to keep up with your skincare.

The one Westman Atelier product I don’t like is the highlighter because it doesn’t last. One that I do love is the Chanel Le Blanc Rosy Light Drops. It gives a great highlight color and actually stays put.

My favorite Chanel lip gloss was discontinued so I wanted to find something new that was in stock. I came up with a layered look with products that can also be worn alone. I start with the Victoria Beckham Beauty Lip Tint in Cherie. I let it dry and then top it with the Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Gloss in Garconne. They are the perfect lip colored products but together they are even better.

This is the ugliest packaging I’ve ever seen for a beauty product but if you want to keep your makeup from melting off in the summer or for a special event, the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray is the gold standard. I wouldn’t use it for every day but it’s perfect for a night on the town or a Southern wedding in the humidity.

I also bought this Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder to keep in my bag for touch ups. Again, I love that it comes with its own brush so I just need this one product.

To stave off chapped lips now that it’s cold again, I use the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Vanilla. I only use this in my apartment because it’s not hygienic to dip your finger into a product when you are out and about or traveling. Instead, I keep a By Terry Baume de Rose Crystalline in all my bags. It gives a great clear gloss look to lips while keep them hydrated.

I splurged on this Hermès Bolide Makeup Bag because it’s the perfect size to hold all the compacts and larger Westman Atelier products. I sprayed it with a stain repellent before using it. I like that it coordinates with the Celine makeup case I bought myself last Christmas. You could try this one for a much less expensive option.

I mentioned in my Instagram stories that I don’t care for opaque nail polish. I feel like the women who like it are too young to remember White Out. I definitely wouldn’t wear it to Paris either. Instead, I wear Hermès Nail Polish in Rose Porcelaine on my hands. It’s currently sold out but it always comes back into stock. This fall I started wearing the Hermès Nail Polish in Rough H on my toes and it’s the perfect dark shade for colder weather. I’m hoping I can stock up when I’m in Paris next month and take advantage of the exchange rate.

Bon week-end!

XOXO,

HC